1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for improving vehicle balance. The present also relates to such systems configured to improve stability and counterbalance overloaded vehicles axles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a ballasting system installable in the bed of a truck.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most vehicles are configured with the engine at the front and storage capacity at the rear. As a result, such vehicles are generally unevenly weighted, setting up the possibility of a reduction in traction at the rear end. In the past, vehicles had rear-wheel drive, and drivers would add load or weight, referred to herein as ballast, at the vehicle rear to counterbalance the front-end loading and improve vehicle traction. Vehicle traction is particularly important when road conditions are less than optimal, such as when covered in snow, ice, or water. Advances in vehicle design have made front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive fairly standard features. Vehicles with front-wheel and all-wheel drive generally have better traction than those with rear-wheel drive, due to positioning of the engine weight over the driven wheels.
In spite of the advances in vehicle drive operation, there remains a substantial portion of vehicles without sufficient load balancing to operate effectively under all conditions. For example, drivers tasked to conduct snow removal operations, particularly those employing pickup trucks, often do not have sufficient ballast at the rear. In fact, the rear of the truck is usually simply an open or capped bed for storage. The truck's engine and an attached plow produce more loading at the front axle than at the rear. This can reduce traction at the rear end, and generally can reduce handling stability under a variety of road conditions. Many pickup trucks used for snow removal are equipped with four-wheel drive, at least ensuring that some traction is provided at the front and rear wheels. However, this does not balance the overloading of the front axle of the truck associated with the attached plow, nor does it improve vehicle handling.
Drivers use a variety of ad hoc techniques to overcome the inherent limitations associated with the unbalanced weight distribution of a pickup truck. Those techniques generally involve placing a load in the truck bed. That load may be sandbags, weightlifting weights, cinder blocks, water-filled containers, miscellaneous equipment, and even snow or ice accumulating naturally in the bed. Unfortunately, such loads may not be placed a sufficient distance behind the vehicle's center of gravity to balance the truck effectively. Moreover, these loads tend to shift when the truck is in use, or they may be insufficient to provide the desired traction, particularly when snowplowing is performed. In other instances, rather than shifting position, the load may become rigidly fixed in place, such as by ice gathering in the bed. Further, the load may be positioned in the truck bed in a way that makes it difficult to use the bed for its intended storage purpose, or in a way that makes it difficult to access other items in the bed, particularly when load shifting occurs. Therefore, present ad hoc means for improving rear-wheel traction and/or balance for a pickup truck have undesirable limitations.
Several patents have been granted for devices intended to improve traction for a vehicle. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,941,565, 5,897,138, and 6,079,741. The devices described in these patents are of limited value for one or more of several reasons. They may require substantial modification to a truck bed, they may require fixing in place rather than being easily movable in and out of the truck bed and within the truck bed. Further, they may require the introduction of a load that may not be easily removable, such as water that turns into ice in cold weather. Such loading may be difficult to adjust, either by adding to or subtracting from, the load as desired Therefore, what is needed is a vehicle ballast system that may be easily inserted into and removed from the storage area, preferably by a single individual and without the need of hoisting equipment. Also, what is needed is a vehicle ballast system that may be adjusted in its positioning as desired, but with the balancing of the vehicle's center of gravity kept in mind. In addition, what is needed is a vehicle ballast system that minimizes the impact on the use of the remaining portions of the vehicle's storage area. Further, what is needed is a vehicle ballast system that is configured in a manner that reduces or eliminates ballast shifting when the vehicle is in use.